Tool to test for models that are missing support for unaligned memory access when the BIOS is in IDE mode
Technical Articles ID:
KB72826
Last Modified: 2/5/2020
Last Modified: 2/5/2020
Tool to test for models that are missing support for unaligned memory access when the BIOS is in IDE mode
Technical Articles ID:
KB72826
Last Modified: 2/5/2020 EnvironmentSummaryInvestigations have concluded that a number of computers either reported errors after/before the preboot authentication (PBA) stage, or stopped responding after PBA due to missing support for unaligned memory access.
ProblemDifferent computer models fail with different errors and symptoms. For example, during startup, you might see one of the following messages:
Fatal Error: [0xEE00000B] EPEi_system_policy (EE00000B)
Fatal Error: [0xE0020008] Error writing to disk sector (E0020008) Fatal Error: [0xEE020002] Error writing to disk sector (EE020002) HP models usually show a black screen with one of these errors and you cannot access the Windows desktop.
Lenovo models usually stop responding for approximately 45 seconds, after either canceling the PBA screen or authenticating at PBA, and then continue to start normally. CauseVendor is missing support for unaligned memory access.
IMPORTANT: This issue is exposed only if the BIOS is in IDE mode. AHCI calls a different code path and avoids the problem. SolutionTo test whether the BIOS has an issue, the Product Development team has created the SMBIOS tool (OnTimeSMBIOS_MemV2.zip containing OnTimeSMBIOS_Mem.is_, which is attached to this article). This tool allows you to gather data from the BIOS and test if it supports Aligned and Unaligned memory access. NOTE: If you see an error (e0020008), take a picture of the screen and create a Service Request so an exception for that computer can be hard coded within the PBA code. The following image shows the output of this new tool: ![]() The SMBIOS tool includes the following output details required by the Product Engineering team:
To contact Technical Support, log on to the ServicePortal and go to the Create a Service Request page at https://support.mcafee.com/ServicePortal/faces/serviceRequests/createSR:
SolutionFor the models listed below the issue is resolved in the following ways:
The models listed in the table below are resolved by either:
Related InformationProduct or Patch downloads
McAfee product software, upgrades, maintenance releases, and documentation are available from the Product Downloads site at: https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/downloads/my-products.html.
NOTE: You need a valid Grant Number for access. See KB56057 - How to download Enterprise product updates and documentation for more information about the Product Downloads site, and alternate locations for some products. AttachmentAffected ProductsLanguages:Glossary of Technical Terms |
|